Adds to her record number of wins

Lisa Harvey of Calgary crosses the finish line on Bannerman Road Sunday morning on her way to winning the female championship in the 2013 Telegram 10-Mile Road Race. or Harvey, it is her seventh Tely 10 championship.

by Robin Short

Telegram Sports Editor

Last week, when word filtered down a former Commonwealth Games and Pan Am Games triathlete-turned-runner was considering running the Tely 10, reigning champ Lisa Harvey was both surprised and buoyed with the news.

Alas, Natasha Yaremczuk — the fastest Canadian in this year’s Boston Marathon and a two-time Buffalo half-marathon champ — elected not to run the St. John’s race, opening the door for a seventh win for the Calgary native Harvey, who finished 1:00.26, more than a minute ahead than

“It’s unfortunate she couldn’t race,” said Harvey of Yaremczuk, from Paris, Ont. with eyes on Canada’s Olympic team. “I like to be pushed.

“That would be great to have someone nipping at your heals. Competition makes me run faster. In training, racing or whatever, if I have someone breathing down my neck, it definitely makes me run faster. It’s a good thing for me.”

For Harvey, it was win No. 7, and her second straight Tely title, for the 1992 Olympian.

“I was a bit worried at the beginning because the sun was out and it was hot. I was really happy when it went behind the clouds.

“Thankfully, it wasn’t as hot as it was the past few days. I could barely sleep last night, but that’s okay because I never sleep well the night before a race,” she said.

Lisa Collins-Sheppard of Paradise finished second in 1:01.16. Alison Walsh of Mount Pearl was third in 1:03.28, followed by Allison Hobeika of St. John’s in 1:04.54 and Elita Rahn of Merville, B.C. in 1:06.10.

It’s been a solid year for the Lamaline-raised Collins-Sheppard, who won the only two road races she’s entered this season — the CHCM 10K in Garnish and the Molson Canadian 67 Mews 8K. In the Garnish race, Collins-Sheppard was the fourth overall finisher.

The just-turned-30 Collins-Sheppard resumed racing this season following an eight-year respite. Her only race in 2012 was the Tely 10, and she was good enough to finish fourth amongst females in 1:02.61.

“I’m a competitor at heart,” she said, “and I think I’ve been given a gift to do this. I only trained a couple of months last year and I ran 62 minutes so I decided in January this year to put in more effort and it would paid off.

“I guess you could say this is my second running career. I used to run a lot when I was younger, but not so much since 2005.”

Amazingly enough, most of Collins-Sheppard’s training has been done indoors on the treadmill. Her husband works out of the province, so she gets her runs in the morning before her children spring from their beds.

“I’ve only been outside (running) probably three weeks,” she said. “I guess it’s being mentally tough.”

As for Harvey, she will probably be back next year, seeking an eighth title. In addition to running the Tely, Harvey’s in-laws get to see their grandchildren (she is married to St. John’s native and Hall of Famer Paul McCloy).

“I’m really happy to win this race that many times,” she said. “It’s such a great race, with such a great tradition.

“Coming down that finishing chute, the crowd is cheering so loud and they’re so supportive that it carries you through. It’s a really nice community race to do.”

Lisa Harvey of Calgary crosses the finish line on Bannerman Road Sunday morning on her way to winning the female championship in the 2013 Telegram 10-Mile Road Race. or Harvey, it is her seventh Tely 10 championship.